Workshop: How to deal with the “technical” in “technical leadership”, Mon 4th Nov '24

[This workshop was delivered at Lead Dev Berlin '24, on Mon 4th Nov '24]

How technical do technical leaders have to be? Are you worried that you’re too hands-on, or not hands-on enough? Are you exhausting yourself trying to keep up with every technical detail in your domain?

Sometimes individual contributors are promoted to leadership positions and worry that they won’t be as hands-on as they used to be. Sometimes they worry that they no longer have time to stay up to date with modern technology and / or the state of their team’s code base(s). Sometimes it’s the other way around: Somebody who has never been hands-on in the technical realm is given a leadership position, and worries they’re “not technical enough”.

Whatever your position, this workshop will help you to overcome your worries and figure out the best attitude and approach for you and your circumstances.

## Takeaways
• How to embrace the difference between individual contributor and technical leader
• How to take a step back from “knowing all the things”
• How to make the most of the knowledge and experience of your team
• How to identify when technical knowledge matters, and when it doesn’t
• How to learn the things you need to know

Transcript

1. How to deal with the “technical” in “technical leadership" @ClareSudbery
2. @ClareSudbery Workshop lasts 80 mins We’ll have a 10-min break after approx 40 mins 00:00 – 02:00 MANY
3. @ClareSudbery Use post-its for notes and questions Top post-it tips! 00:00 – 02:00 MANY
4. @ClareSudbery Write your biggest worry on a sticky note Be specific (not just "I worry I'm not technical enough") Write clearly – people need to read it Remember what you wrote! 02:00 – 05:00
5. @ClareSudbery This half of the room, put your sticky notes up 05:00 – 10:00 MANY
6. @ClareSudbery Other half of the room, take one sticky note each One that’s close to your worry …or is a worry that you share 05:00 – 10:00 MANY
7. @ClareSudbery Walk around, waving your sticky note Find the person who wrote it Form a pair with them Introduce yourselves! Name + role 05:00 – 10:00 MANY
8. @ClareSudbery Choose a worry you both share You can write a new sticky if you like Remember what you wrote! 10:00 – 15:00
9. @ClareSudbery This half of the room, put your sticky notes up One per pair 15:00 – 20:00 MANY
10. @ClareSudbery Other half of the room, take one sticky note per pair Stay in pairs Try to choose a worry that you share 15:00 – 20:00 MANY
11. @ClareSudbery Walk around, waving your sticky note Find the pair who wrote it Form a group with them Introduce yourselves! Name + role 15:00 – 20:00 MANY
12. @ClareSudbery Which category are you? • Leadership after being hands-on technical • Leadership after being NOT technical • Senior developer aspiring to leadership • [new categories] 20:00 – 25:00
13. @ClareSudbery Write down ONE piece of advice to address your worry On a sticky note Individually (not in pairs or groups) [Note for Clare: Put big stickies up] 25:00 – 30:00
14. The big sticky notes @ClareSudbery 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
15. @ClareSudbery Leadership is more than being technical 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
16. @ClareSudbery Surround yourself with people who know more than you 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
17. @ClareSudbery Confidently ask simple questions 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
18. @ClareSudbery 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
19. @ClareSudbery Pay attention to how little others know 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
20. Ilianna: Terraform Kirsty: Hadoop Mircea: iOS Native Esra: SonarQube Georgia: Golang Rob: AWS Scott: AiOps Andy: Encryption Anik: PySpark Jon: CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
21. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps PySpark Recursion THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
22. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
23. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native Golang AWS AiOps 398373 Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
24. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
25. CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
26. Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
27. iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
28. AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
29. AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
30. Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
31. Terraform Data analytics Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
32. @ClareSudbery Work on a "need to know" basis 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
33. @ClareSudbery Work at a higher level: Birds' eye view 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
34. @ClareSudbery Get others to summarise for you 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
35. @ClareSudbery Only go deep with good reason 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
36. @ClareSudbery Emphasise your strengths 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
37. @ClareSudbery Value abstract and transferrable knowledge 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
38. @ClareSudbery Attitude and aptitude beat knowledge 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
39. @ClareSudbery Ignorance becomes learning becomes exciting 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
40. The Lucky 10,000 @ClareSudbery 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
41. @ClareSudbery Use questions to help everyone discover what matters 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
42. @ClareSudbery Don't accept prejudiced judgment 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
43. @ClareSudbery The Stupidity Manifesto LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. INSTEAD, LET’S… • ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ASK QUESTIONS • Lead by example: Be honest when we’re confused • Value curiosity over knowledge • Prioritise clarity over jargon • Remember we all forget stuff • Get excited about teaching and learning • Acknowledge the broad range of knowledge in our industry, and avoid judging someone if their knowledge doesn’t match ours • LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. Sign the manifesto:
44. @ClareSudbery Embrace changes in knowledge 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
45. @ClareSudbery Question what you want and need 30:00 – 40:00 MANY
46. 10 MIN BREAK @ClareSudbery 40:00 – 50:00
47. @ClareSudbery Read all the big sticky notes Take yours and add it to any similar big sticky If nothing similar, put in separate area, but… …CHECK FIRST for anything similar there 50:00 – 55:00
48. @ClareSudbery Find a sticky DIFFERENT to yours Copy it down onto a small sticky Take it back to your group 55:00 – 60:00 MANY
49. @ClareSudbery Discuss all the sticky notes you have In your groups Are they useful? Why? Why not? 55:00 – 60:00 MANY
50. @ClareSudbery Write two header stickies: “INSPIRED” and “STILL WORRIED” In your groups Add stickies under both categories 55:00 – 60:00 MANY
51. Q & A @ClareSudbery 60:00 – 70:00 [Summary slides now, then one more exercise]
52. Landing in a neat pair-synchronized way. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsY1qBeg5Qg @ClareSudbery 70:00 – 75:00 MANY
53. @ClareSudbery GROUP TECHNICAL COACHING AND OTHER RESOURCES
54. @ClareSudbery learning.oreilly.com 70:00 – 75:00 MANY
55. Sudbery Software Engineering Ltd Do you or your team need help? Group leadership coaching Technical coaching Keynotes & workshops Events and info: tinyurl.com/csudbery Mastodon: mastodon.social/@ClareSudbery LinkedIn: tinyurl.com/lin-csudbery Podcast: tinyurl.com/tech-better-pod
56. THE END @ClareSudbery